


Rinse and Repeat

by zephyras13



Series: Exiles [7]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Depression, Drabble Collection, F/M, Powerlessness, Present Tense, Romantic Friendship, Roommates, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-03
Updated: 2012-03-03
Packaged: 2017-11-01 01:46:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/350617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zephyras13/pseuds/zephyras13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ichigo reflects.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rinse and Repeat

Ichigo floats. It's not like he doesn't do anything anymore; he still goes to class, still hangs out with his friends, still works for Ikumi-san part-time. But life doesn't feel like it used to. He doesn't have a purpose or a goal anymore. Things that he used to find fun or exciting seem childish and stupid. How could they, after he spent the better part of six months fighting monsters and rogue shinigami, invading the world of Hollows, and _saving the world_.

He just goes through the motions. Follows the norm for the average Japanese eighteen year old boy. School, work, friends, rinse, repeat. He just cruises along without much thought about his life and tries to pretend that he's not miserable.

Ichigo's pretty sure no one he knows well is buying it, but over the years he's gotten better and better at hiding his true feelings. Even Chad and Tatsuki have seemed less worried about him lately. (Though punching his apartment wall will probably change that.)

Rukia's the only one who he's never been to fool, but that's hardly surprising. After all that they've been through, Ichigo's never been able to put one past her. Sometimes it's annoying, but Ichigo's used to Rukia being the exception. That's the way it's always been, and Ichigo doesn't really mind that much anymore.

He'll never tell her this, but Ichigo's not sure what he'd do without her. Even at the very beginning it was always easy to be with Rukia and after three years of spending nearly every waking hour in her presence, he can't imagine an existence without her. If he had had to spend the past two and a half years without even _that_...

So, whatever, school, work, friends, Rukia, and begin again. He'll be able to stand tall, be _okay_ , as long as he doesn't think too hard about the past, or the future, or the present. As long as he doesn't think at all. He can do this, he _has_ to be able to do this or everything will fall apart and then Ichigo doesn't know where he'll be.

Rukia's head is on his chest when he wakes up the morning after their party, one arm thrown over his stomach. Ichigo blinks down at her in confusion, and it's only after a few seconds that he realizes that he has an arm around her waist as well.

He tries to carefully shift out of her grip, but she makes a sleepy noise against his pajama shirt and Ichigo freezes and decides it's probably best not to move.

According to his phone, it's barely eight o'clock. The rest of their friends are probably all still sleeping, but Ichigo doesn't think he can go back to sleep. He sighs and stares up at the ceiling, Rukia warm and curled into his side.

He should probably be embarrassed, but he isn't. He's slept in close quarters with Rukia before and he's painfully aware this is not the first time they've shared a bed. Still, she's pressed up against him pretty tightly, to the point that it's pretty obvious she's not wearing a bra underneath Yuzu's old pajamas. Her short hair is soft against his neck and every exhale ghosts her cool breath right over his heart. It _should_ be embarrassing and _weird_ , but it's not and Ichigo finds he doesn't mind, as long as someone (Kon) doesn't come in and find them like this.

"Idiot," he grumbles exasperatedly and lightly places his hand on the back of her head. "You can't do anything normally, can you?"

It's only partly directed at Rukia.

He eventually does doze off again and wakes up a couple hours later to the melodious sounds of Tatsuki punching Keigo in the kitchen.

"What the hell?" Rukia groans, rolling off him and stuffing her head under the covers. "It is _far_ too early for this."

Ichigo...kind of doesn't want to go out there. He went straight to bed after walking around the block last night and if he leaves this room he's going to have to apologize for the whole wall punching thing. Especially to Mizuiro, who's concern over Ichigo's mental health should definitely not have warranted such a violent response.

On the other hand, Keigo might break something again, that _dumbass_ , and Rukia's clearly not going anywhere. So while Ichigo would rather just curl into a ball and sleep, he gets out of bed, careful not to jostle Rukia, and goes to shut his stupid friends up before someone in the other apartments complains.

School, work, friends, Rukia, et cetera. Life is boring.

Until it's not and then everything goes to hell.

**Author's Note:**

> And finally we get Ichigo!
> 
> ...that's pretty much it. Please review!


End file.
